1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to cigarette package spacers. More particularly this invention relates to package spacers used to promote tightly fitted packing of ultrathin cigarettes in thin cigarette packs and the packing of thin cigarette packs in standard width cartons.
2. Prior Art
For many years standard cigarette packs have had a relatively standard thickness and a height dependant upon whether the cigarette was of regular size, king size or ultra king size. Since the thickness of cigarette packs was standard, the thickness of cigarettes cartons necessarily did not vary. As a result, it was possible to manufacture cartons of a single width which would accommodate all cigarette packs.
In order to place the tax stamp which is required on the bottom of each cigarette pack, the usual procedure is to place the cigarette packs in the cigarette carton leaving the bottom end of the carton open which permits application of the cigarette tax stamp. Because in the past virtually all cigarette packs have been of the same width, except for highly specialized and costly brands, it was possible to use a single stamping machine to stamp cigarette cartons for all brands.
In recent years, the cigarette industry has sought to diversify its packing styles and cigarette types in order to maintain or increase market share. Among the packing changes which have been considered include the use of thinner and supposedly more attractive cigarettes. When 20 of these ultrathin cigarettes are packed in a standard cigarette pack, a large amount of the unoccupied space remains. Accordingly, cigarette manufacturers have redesigned cigarette packs and boxes to somewhat reduce their thicknesses. In addition, however, it has been necessary to provide internal packing material within each cigarette pack in order to take up additional space not occupied by the ultrathin cigarettes. Concomitantly, the use of thinner cigarette packs has required changes in the design of cigarette cartons. With thinner cigarette packs, there were two possibilities: either the carton could be made more narrow or a packing material could be inserted within each carton to allow the use of the same size of carton with the thinner cigarette pack.
The approach most preferred in the cigarette industry has been the use of added packing material to permit the use of a standard width carton. This procedure allows the use of previously purchased stamping machines without the need for costly modification of these machines; or the more costly alternative of having nonstandard packs hand stamped at the distributor level.
Several designs for carton and cigarette pack inserts have been attempted. However, each of the inserts used to date have been expensive to manufacture because of the large amount of packing material which is wasted during fabrication.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to prepare cigarette pack and cigarette carton packing materials.
It is a further object of this invention to prepare packing materials employing a process which reduces the amount of packing stock which is wasted during fabrication and/or permits the fabrication of a greater amount of packing materials from the same volume of stock.
It is yet another object of this invention to prepare packing materials which may be utilized with ultrathin cigarettes to permit the packing of these cigarettes into sightly thinner boxes and packages and to permit the use of these boxes and packages in standard sized cigarette cartons.
These and other objectives are obtained by preparing the packing materials according to the instant invention.